Behaviours For Learning Conference

Behaviours For Learning Conference
Written by Paul Middleton

Last month, three staff travelled to the University of Hertfordshire to attend the Behaviours for Learning Conference, organised by Alban Teaching School Hub. Cheryl, Geoff, and Jess each provided a report of their key takeaways and I have included extracts below; the full reports can be found at the bottom of this page. Sessions included:

  • A keynote presentation from Sam Strickland, author of Creating Positive Classrooms (now in the Library!) Sam discussed how schools can create positive cultures where pupils feel happy, safe, and part of a community.
  • ‘Establishing Social Norms and Routines’ by Tom Bellwood
  • ‘Embedding Behaviours for Learning’ by Michael Chapman
  • ‘Building Relationships with Hard-To-Reach Young People’ by Gita Newth and Jo Turner

A Padlet with all of the slides from the various sessions can be found here, and I encourage everyone to flick through and download some of the PDFs for their own CPD or discussion in pastoral/department meetings. In the meantime, a summary of the main takeaways and themes is below; thanks to Cheryl, Geoff, and Jess for their contributions.

What are Learning Behaviours?

Learning Behaviours (EEF)

A learning behaviour can be thought of as a behaviour that is necessary for a person to learn effectively in the group setting of a classroom. It could be as simple as paying attention when someone else is talking or persevering with a challenging task. Behaviours for learning are the countless little things done well that characterise ‘good behaviour’ and effective learning. As such, they are fundamental to every aspect of school life:

  • Emotional learning behaviours promote self-esteem, self-worth, and self-competence, which improve pupil wellbeing

  • Social learning behaviours develop classroom relationships, both with staff and with each other

  • Cognitive learning behaviours motivate pupils and enable them to complete the tasks expected of them

Establishing Core Values and School Culture

But how can we create a positive school culture? This was the issue addressed by Sam Strickland in his keynote session and it becomes clear through his advice that this is a whole-school responsibility, starting from the very top. Leaders must establish the key values that guide behaviour and academic expectations, enforcing and encouraging them until they become inherent. Sam stressed that these values should be kept to a minimum - ideally no more than three - to ensure that they are understood and established. These values should be the strands that lead the approach to behavioural and academic expectations across a school; they should be established in the whole-school strategy and feature in all areas. So how does our culture hold up? We certainly have our School values, but are these eighteen principles realistically achievable and enforceable? Can anyone name them? Certainly, learning behaviours will form a significant part of the new Teaching and Learning Strategy and Sam's advice of keeping these to an achievable minimum is a useful thing to bear in mind. We are setting ourselves up to fail if we try to achieve too much and pupils will benefit from a more streamlined approach.

The session also highlighted the need for high behavioural expectations and safety for all, regardless of background or need. After all, for some pupils it may be the only place where they feel comfortable, accepted, or truly happy. As such, these learning behaviours and core values must permeate across all areas of the school, with leaders supporting both pupils and staff when things go wrong. School systems are key to this, with resources and policies needing to be effective enough to maintain disruption-free environments. As Sam explained: “It is not ‘low-level misbehaviour’. It is disruption.”

I think Cheryl sums this up best when reflecting on how the curriculum facilitates effective learning behaviours for all pupils:

“We need to have high ambition for ALL our students by offering them a broad and balanced curriculum. We need to think about how we support SEND pupils and think about the transition between lessons. We need to think about everyone through curriculum intent, across all subjects, and consider to what extent assessment is effective.” - Cheryl

Behaviour Management Strategies

Clearly, behaviour management is central to establishing effective learning behaviours. This aspect of the conference was no doubt the reason why it was so popular, with Gareth having to turn away staff from the limited school-funded places available. Teacher Standard 7 is the strand that most teachers find hardest and it is central to quality teaching across the board. After all, can any of the other Standards be effectively delivered if you do not have a ‘good and safe learning environment’?

From looking at the Padlet, it seems there was nothing groundbreaking regarding behaviour management at the Behaviours for Learning Conference; however, the sessions provided a reminder of the simple strategies that are essential to promoting positive habits in the classroom and across the school. Consistent, explicit, and reinforced instructions are key here, as the group explain:

"Pupils must be taught what behaviour is acceptable and that they are likely to become confused if different members of staff have different expectations

 which is likely to lead to cognitive overload for both students and staff." 

- Jess

"Define – in detail - what is ‘normal’ 

for the pupils and teach this explicitly through instruction and demonstration." 

- Geoff

"'Say it, mean it, follow it through' and this needs to be relentless. You permit what you promote, and you promote what you permit."

 - Cheryl

While much of this work can be done within the classroom, as with any intervention it is more effective if it becomes something that is modelled across the whole school; this includes assemblies, within the co-curricular programme, on the sports field, and via tutors. This further highlights the importance of keeping things clear and simple, having fewer behavioural values for staff to promote and for pupils to follow. Further to this is the importance of middle and senior leadership in monitoring and enforcing these behaviours; they can achieve this simply by being visible across the school throughout the day. Given that the Gateway has no corridors, we find that poor behaviours are quickly stamped out as the History team passes through the various classrooms - pupils who arrive early are told to prepare for the lesson, those playing games on their laptops at the back of classrooms are flagged, and tutees eating noodles in their form room are moved outside. Greater circulation from leaders will not only reinforce positive learning behaviours but will also offer vital support to staff in managing challenging situations.

Building Relationships with Pupils

One theme running across all of the sessions at the conference was the importance of building positive relationships with pupils. Many teachers think that Teacher Standard 7 is all about sanctions and behaviour management; however, much of the Standard focuses instead on routines, praise, rewards, motivation, and relationships. Shifting our mindsets from reactive to proactive will help to mitigate a lot of the poor behaviour in the first place. Some methods for promoting positive learning behaviours include:

  • Greeting pupils at the door, using their names and addressing any issues quickly, e.g. poor uniform, lateness, etc.

  • Using PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, and Empathy) to build trusting relationships that can withstand constructive conversations

  • Dismiss pupils in an orderly fashion, asking them to stand behind their chairs, check their uniform and leave quietly

  • Ensure that instructions are clear, assertive, and communicated verbally and in writing (e.g. on the board). Poor behaviour often stems from cognitive overload, so simplicity is key to ensuring that all pupils can engage in the task

  • Praise pupils early on to build rapport and make future communications easier. This could even be done via tutors and parents.

  • See ‘The Incredible Years Teaching Pyramid’ below for further strategies - note how the typical ‘behaviour management’ approaches (sanctions) only feature at the very top of the pyramid and should be used sparingly

However, even with the best foundations and preparations, behavioural problems will inevitably arise. It is at this point that teachers need to keep their cool. If you find yourself shouting at a child or making a scene in front of the rest of the class - you are the one who has lost control. Conversations about poor behaviour should always take place at the end of a lesson, rather than in the moment, and they should be calm, respectful, and productive. Remember that you are not communicating with an adult, so you have to provide pupils with emotional scaffolding, just as you would with their academic learning. The connections in the brain that encourage cognition and reflection (within the prefrontal cortex) do not strengthen until late adolescence and adulthood respectively. As such, younger pupils are more driven by emotion and risk; they cannot immediately appreciate what they have done wrong, why it is wrong, and how that has impacted the lesson. Providing time between the incident and your conversation allows pupils to reflect and will lead to much more positive conversations - more than likely, they will immediately apologise, and your respectful relationship will remain intact.

"Keep a light tone of voice, accept their feelings without accepting the behaviour displayed, and be curious and empathetic about the source of their feelings." - Jess

I am pleased that Cheryl, Geoff, and Jess enjoyed the conference and found it beneficial; it has certainly been useful for me to reflect on this crucial aspect of Teaching and Learning ahead of our new five-year strategy. If you are interested in finding out more about learning behaviours and Teacher Standard 7, then explore some of the resources below. For more information about the conference, have a look at the Padlet and/or speak to one of the attendees - I am sure they would be more than happy to discuss their reflections.

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